Letters To The Editor
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World J Gastroenterol. Nov 28, 2014; 20(44): 16793-16794
Published online Nov 28, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i44.16793
Individualized proximal margin for early gastric cancer patients
Xin-Zu Chen, Wei-Han Zhang, Jian-Kun Hu
Xin-Zu Chen, Wei-Han Zhang, Jian-Kun Hu, Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan Province, China
Author contributions: Chen XZ wrote the letter; Chen XZ and Zhang WH reviewed the literature; Hu JK proofread the letter.
Supported by Grants from National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 81372344 and No. 81301866
Correspondence to: Jian-Kun Hu, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 37 Guo Xue Xiang, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan Province, China. hujkwch@126.com
Telephone: +86-28-85422479 Fax: +86-28-85164035
Received: March 27, 2014
Revised: April 30, 2014
Accepted: July 24, 2014
Published online: November 28, 2014
Core Tip

Core tip: There is no robust evidence to define a safe proximal margin by distance for early gastric cancer (EGC). The distance 1-10 mm is only acceptable for those endoscopic treatment fit EGC patients. For endoscopic unfit EGC cases, if the borderline of tumor is able to be clearly determined intraoperatively, the distance 1-3 cm is recommended. If there is any uncertainty on the tumor borderline, the distance 3-5 cm should be considered.